Several times?
What about carpal tunnel syndrome? No? How can pregnancy cause carpal tunnel syndrome, you wonder? Well, it goes back to that swelling thing - I had to remove my rings several months ago because my fingers were swelling so much. And in the last month or so I've started waking up in the middle of the night with numb hands and in the morning with fingers that refuse to bend without causing me to shriek in pain. So this is carpal tunnel syndrome. I fervently hope I don't ever get this "for real" (the physicians say that this will go away after the birth). So now I have these lovely little wrist braces that I go to bed with - your dad says I look like I'm going to punch him...
So, last night was a doozey!
I apparently ate all the things I should not eat that cause heartburn because I literally could not lay down flat until probably about 6am this morning. Wow. I've had a few bad nights of heartburn, but I'm pretty sure last night takes the cake, particularly since my hands also acted up from this carpal tunnel thing. Didn't get much sleep. I'm really grumpy today. Your dad is going to love coming home to his grumpy wife this afternoon.
Anyway, there are all sorts of lists out there that say what foods to avoid to avoid heartburn. Here's my list:
chocolate (sad)
tomato sauce of any kind (spaghetti sauce, salsa, enchilada sauce, etc.)
onions
peppers
garlic
ground pepper
anything spicy/hot
orange juice
Essentially many of my staples. Last night I had some delicious chocolate (that your dad gave me for Valentine's Day) after my meal of pasta with spaghetti sauce. I took a Pepcid AC shortly after the meal - but it failed me. Then I drank some Maalox when I went to bed - but it failed me. I sat up straight for several hours in the dark wishing the heartburn away - but that failed me too. Today I feel like I've been worked over: really tired from lack of sleep and like my esophagus is permanently burned (it isn't, but I can whine can't I?).
Last night I also chose not to wear my wrist braces - I wasn't sure that they were doing any good and they're odd to sleep in. Apparently they really do make a difference. By the time I finally fell asleep I kept waking myself up when I moved my hands and this morning I could hardly use my hands until I gave them a short self-massage. Which was difficult with sore, aching hands.
Again, this is probably nothing compared to some of the things pregnant ladies go through, but this fresh experience prompted me to write about how I'm really feeling at the moment. Whiny, grumpy, and complainy.
On a side note, I also thought I would list for you what medications I've been taking during the pregnancy (who knows how important this might be in the future?).
For heartburn:
Pepcid AC (Famotidine 20mg)
Maalox (Aluminum hydroxide 200mg, Magnesium hydroxide 200mg, Simethicone 20mg)
TUMS (Calcium carbonate 500mg or 750mg per tablet)
For aches and pain:
Tylenol (Acetaminophen 500mg per tablet; also known as Paracetamol in Europe)
For hypothyroidism:
Levothyroxine, L-thyroxin various levels, currently 116mcg per day (this is the only medication that is actually prescribed by a physician - I discovered I am hypothyroid in 2002 and will have to take some level of this medication for the rest of my life. You should know this is definitely hereditary - your grampy and his siblings and his mother all have it too. Luckily your aunt Kathy and uncle Keith have avoided getting it)
For twitchy legs (restless leg syndrome):
Ionic-Fizz Magnesium Plus - a dietary supplement with 300mg magnesium (from carbonate) per 5.7g
For swelling feet and ankles (prescribed in Bulgaria before we got pregnant; I took these up through the third month of the pregnancy; this exists as a nutritional supplement in the U.S.A., but none of the doctors I've spoken with here have heard of it):
Detralex (Hesperidine 50mg, Diosmin 450mg per tablet)
For allergies (it seems that my body has an allergic reaction to being pregnant):
Benadryl (Diphenhydramine hydrochloride 25mg per tablet)
Zyrtec (Cetirizine hydrochloride 10mg)
Claratin (Loratadine 10mg)
I've really tried not to take any medications unless I am in dire need - I've certainly taken less pain reliever since being pregnant than I would have if I were not pregnant. All of these (except the weird Bulgarian stuff) are approved for use by my Obstetrician(s). And we asked the doctor in Bulgaria if that medication was OK if we got pregnant and he said yes. So. There's the list.
I'm going to go listen to some good music and read a good book and get into a good mood...
What about carpal tunnel syndrome? No? How can pregnancy cause carpal tunnel syndrome, you wonder? Well, it goes back to that swelling thing - I had to remove my rings several months ago because my fingers were swelling so much. And in the last month or so I've started waking up in the middle of the night with numb hands and in the morning with fingers that refuse to bend without causing me to shriek in pain. So this is carpal tunnel syndrome. I fervently hope I don't ever get this "for real" (the physicians say that this will go away after the birth). So now I have these lovely little wrist braces that I go to bed with - your dad says I look like I'm going to punch him...
So, last night was a doozey!
I apparently ate all the things I should not eat that cause heartburn because I literally could not lay down flat until probably about 6am this morning. Wow. I've had a few bad nights of heartburn, but I'm pretty sure last night takes the cake, particularly since my hands also acted up from this carpal tunnel thing. Didn't get much sleep. I'm really grumpy today. Your dad is going to love coming home to his grumpy wife this afternoon.
Anyway, there are all sorts of lists out there that say what foods to avoid to avoid heartburn. Here's my list:
chocolate (sad)
tomato sauce of any kind (spaghetti sauce, salsa, enchilada sauce, etc.)
onions
peppers
garlic
ground pepper
anything spicy/hot
orange juice
Essentially many of my staples. Last night I had some delicious chocolate (that your dad gave me for Valentine's Day) after my meal of pasta with spaghetti sauce. I took a Pepcid AC shortly after the meal - but it failed me. Then I drank some Maalox when I went to bed - but it failed me. I sat up straight for several hours in the dark wishing the heartburn away - but that failed me too. Today I feel like I've been worked over: really tired from lack of sleep and like my esophagus is permanently burned (it isn't, but I can whine can't I?).
Last night I also chose not to wear my wrist braces - I wasn't sure that they were doing any good and they're odd to sleep in. Apparently they really do make a difference. By the time I finally fell asleep I kept waking myself up when I moved my hands and this morning I could hardly use my hands until I gave them a short self-massage. Which was difficult with sore, aching hands.
Again, this is probably nothing compared to some of the things pregnant ladies go through, but this fresh experience prompted me to write about how I'm really feeling at the moment. Whiny, grumpy, and complainy.
On a side note, I also thought I would list for you what medications I've been taking during the pregnancy (who knows how important this might be in the future?).
For heartburn:
Pepcid AC (Famotidine 20mg)
Maalox (Aluminum hydroxide 200mg, Magnesium hydroxide 200mg, Simethicone 20mg)
TUMS (Calcium carbonate 500mg or 750mg per tablet)
For aches and pain:
Tylenol (Acetaminophen 500mg per tablet; also known as Paracetamol in Europe)
For hypothyroidism:
Levothyroxine, L-thyroxin various levels, currently 116mcg per day (this is the only medication that is actually prescribed by a physician - I discovered I am hypothyroid in 2002 and will have to take some level of this medication for the rest of my life. You should know this is definitely hereditary - your grampy and his siblings and his mother all have it too. Luckily your aunt Kathy and uncle Keith have avoided getting it)
For twitchy legs (restless leg syndrome):
Ionic-Fizz Magnesium Plus - a dietary supplement with 300mg magnesium (from carbonate) per 5.7g
For swelling feet and ankles (prescribed in Bulgaria before we got pregnant; I took these up through the third month of the pregnancy; this exists as a nutritional supplement in the U.S.A., but none of the doctors I've spoken with here have heard of it):
Detralex (Hesperidine 50mg, Diosmin 450mg per tablet)
For allergies (it seems that my body has an allergic reaction to being pregnant):
Benadryl (Diphenhydramine hydrochloride 25mg per tablet)
Zyrtec (Cetirizine hydrochloride 10mg)
Claratin (Loratadine 10mg)
I've really tried not to take any medications unless I am in dire need - I've certainly taken less pain reliever since being pregnant than I would have if I were not pregnant. All of these (except the weird Bulgarian stuff) are approved for use by my Obstetrician(s). And we asked the doctor in Bulgaria if that medication was OK if we got pregnant and he said yes. So. There's the list.
I'm going to go listen to some good music and read a good book and get into a good mood...
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